Oregon State has been outstanding in the red zone and on special teams.
In 2022, the Oregon State football team went 10–3, won a bowl game and finished the season ranked 17th in the final Associated Press poll.
The 2023 team is better.
There is no guarantee, of course, that the team will match or exceed last season’s record, but the team itself is more balanced. Oregon State is 6-1, ranked 12th in this week’s AP poll and there is not a fluky win on the resume.
With the Beavers enjoying their bye week, this is a good time to look at some of the keys to the team’s success.
Red zone offense
The statistic itself is no secret because the program has not been shy on spreading the news, but Oregon State’s success rate in the red zone this season is phenomenal. The Beavers have converted on all 25 of their trips inside the opponents’ 20-yard line, scoring 21 touchdowns and making four field goals.
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Only two other teams in the nation have a 100% success rate in the red zone: South Alabama (20 for 20 with 16 touchdowns) and Western Kentucky (19 for 19 with 15 touchdowns).
Oregon State’s touchdowns are balanced with 11 rushing and 10 passing. The Beavers have two power backs they can call on in Damien Martinez (two red zone touchdowns) and Deshaun Fenwick (three red zone TDs). Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 252 pounds, is bigger than both and has four red zone rushing touchdowns.
One question in the offseason was who would replace Jack Colletto as the team’s short-yardage quarterback on fourth down and at the goal line. The answer has become clear: Uiagalelei is the new Colletto.
But the Beavers also trust Uiagalelei (and freshman Aidan Chiles) to throw the ball in critical situations. Uiagalelei has 15 passing touchdowns this season (seven in the red zone) and Chiles has three, all in the red zone. Their combined total of 18 touchdown passes is more than Oregon State had all of last season (16).
Turnover margin
Oregon State has turned the ball over just six times in seven games with two fumbles and four interceptions. The Beavers have created 12 turnovers, recovering five fumbles and intercepting seven passes.
That makes the Beavers plus-six in turnover margin, which is one of the best margins in the Pac-12 behind Utah (plus-seven).
Turnovers were a major problem for Oregon State last season. The Beavers turned the ball over 18 times (13 interceptions and five fumbles) and created 17 takeaways (12 interceptions and five fumbles).
The result was a lack of trust in the passing game at critical moments, such as in the rivalry win over Oregon. The arrival of Uiagalelei has gone a long way toward solving that problem. He has thrown four interceptions in 176 attempts, an interception rate of just over 2%, which is within expectations.
There is an element of chance involved with turnovers, both with interceptions and in the recovery of fumbles. Some throws which do not deserve to be intercepted get tipped and picked off. And some risky throws which could easily be interceptions turn into big gains.
Uiagalelei was fortunate to not get picked off during Saturday’s win against UCLA when he was running to his left and threw a pass across his body to the middle of the field. The throw sailed, but tight end Jack Velling was able to out-jump the defenders to make the catch. The play didn’t result in a turnover, but that is not a throw Uiagalelei will want to repeat.
Special teams
Because special teams is so varied, there is no one statistic which captures the team’s success this season. But the Beavers have been very good in all phases.
Kicker Atticus Sappington is 33 for 33 on extra-point attempts and is 8 for 9 on field-goal attempts. His only miss this season was a 48-yard attempt against San Diego State.
Punter Josh Green is averaging 40.6 yards per punt, which is middle of the conference rankings. But it is also clear the coaching staff is putting more emphasis on hang time and coverage than on pure distance. Opponents have returned Green’s punts for a total of four yards this season, an average of just over half a yard per return. The Beavers do not want to give up a big play on punt coverage and so far this year they’ve given up basically nothing.
Kickoff returner Silas Bolden and punt returner Anthony Gould came into the season as the top return specialists in the conference. As a result, opponents are trying to limit their opportunities. Bolden has returned seven kickoffs this season with an average of 30 yards per return, including a 59-yarder against UCLA.
Gould has just three punt returns this season but is averaging almost 13 yards per return. In the game against UC Davis, Gould was not available and Bolden took over those duties, returning a punt 65 yards for a touchdown. If opponents make a mistake and give them an opportunity, Bolden and Gould consistently make them pay for it.
Focus on the field
It is a bitter irony for Beaver Nation that this team, one of the best all-around squads in the history of the program, is taking the field in the last season of the Pac-12 Conference as we know it. Head coach Jonathan Smith, his staff and the players deserve an enormous amount of credit for their ability to stick together through these remarkably uncertain times.
Worries about the program’s future could have distracted the team but they haven’t. And with five games left in the season all of the program’s goals, including a berth in the Pac-12 championship game, are still on the table.
